Nature in the Built Environment by Ambe J. Njoh

Author:Ambe J. Njoh
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030397593
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

5.2.6 Buddhism and Environmental Stewardship

Another major religion with roots in Asia, but less known beyond eastern and central Asia is Buddhism. It is a product of the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama. Concern for nature is said to be of centrality in Buddhist doctrine; in fact, attention to Buddhism and ecology has been experiencing gradual growth during the last two or so decades (Clippard 2011). One of the best-known scholarly works underscoring the strong bond between Buddhism and nature, particularly the natural environment is the edited volume by Alan Hunter Badiner under the caption, Dharma Gaia: A Harvest of Essays in Buddhism and Ecology, which was initially released in 1990 (see Badiner 1990). The book, especially the essay by Thich Nhat Hanh, goes a good way in demonstrating the ecologically-friendly dimensions of Buddhism (see Hanh 1990). It accentuates the commonly-shared view among Buddhists that theirs is a religion which considers environmentalism as situated at its core. This features prominently in the pronouncements of Buddhist notables such as the Dalai Lama. There are specific concepts within Buddhist doctrine that demonstrate Buddhism’s irrefutable concern for the natural environment; Two of the leading of these that are most relevant here are Paticca-samuppada, and Metta (Clippard 2011).

Paticca-samuppāda

This term appears with frequency in eco-Buddhist discourse. It literally means ‘dependent origination;’ however, it connotes ‘interdependence.’ This concept is of essence in any meaningful discussion of environmental stewardship as it recognizes the inextricably interconnected nature of all creatures in the universe. The acknowledgement of this truism by Buddhist is often invoked to lend credence to Buddhism’s proclaimed identity as an eco-conscious religion. It is also the basis of Buddhists’ critique of the dominant anthropocentric worldview. Within the framework of this thinking, humans are like other creatures, occupants of this universe. Therefore, humans co-exist and do not have dominion over other creatures as anthropocentric pronouncements would lead us to believe. In fact, Buddhists incriminate the anthropocentric worldview as a leading cause of environmental abuse. They see the concept of ‘dependent origination’ or ‘mutual dependence’ at the heart of Buddhist environmental philosophy as holding enormous promise for efforts to re-orient human understanding towards a more environment-friendly worldview. Such a worldview is invariably cognizant of the inextricably intertwined and interdependent nature of all entities in the universe. Thus, environmental stewardship should not, and does not, have as its sole objective, environmental protection. Rather, its aim must be viewed as including self-preservation—that is, the preservation of human beings. Meaningful efforts to guarantee human existence, must therefore begin with initiatives to protect the natural environment.

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